Checkmate
by Starrylyra47
Summary: RonxHermione, HarryxGinny Following the win of Gryffindor's Quidditch match, Hermione is devastaed to see Ron snogging Lavender and needs a few moments to collect her thoughts and decide what her next step is in this delicate game of chess for Ron Weasley's love.


Shock. That was the only word to describe what I felt. As I saw her reach over and grab his head and pull his face close to hers, his arms snaked around her waist, and they proceeded to embrace in a tender passionate kiss. I felt sick. I felt betrayed. And yet I wasn't. I had never been his girlfriend. I was a girl. I was his friend. But nothing more. At least not to him. To me, we had something more. I had been able to talk to him about anything. He knew me more than I knew myself. And yet he was snogging her. I turned around quickly and proceeded out of the Gryffindor common room. My mind was on autopilot. I needed to get away. Far away. Somewhere where no one would find me. The dungeons. No…The Slytherins lived there. I could not afford to see Malfoy or that pig-faced Pansy Parkinson when I was like this. I made a quick turn to my left. Damn Ron. Damn Lavender. Damn them both. And before I realized that was where I wanted to do, I was already there. Somehow, I made my way down to into an isolated corridor that was covered in feathers. Feathers…damn. Nothing I encountered could help me forgot him. I had immediately thought of the Levitation Charm that I taught him as a First Year Student. I took out my wand; vine with dragon heartstring and especially good for charms. "Avis" I whispered and made the proper hand movement. The yellow feathers sprang up and twisted together as if knitting into yellow birds and they surrounded me. Unlike the ones I made in Professor Flitwick's class, these birds seemed to lack energy. Perhaps like Patronuses they could sense when the caster didn't put their whole heart into it. I began to cry at my failure. At my heartache. At my love for Ron Weasley. Softly, not to attract attention and collapsed down at the bottom step and pulled my legs up to my chest and I wept quietly. For how long, I wasn't sure but when I heard footsteps, I gripped my wand ready to blast whoever was there. I hoped it was Ron…or Lavender. I had been itching to use the Blasting Charm for a while. But when I looked up, the owner of the footsteps surprised me and at the same time, I wasn't surprised at all. It was Harry. He was one of my best friends akin to a brother. He didn't say anything but his green eyes had that way of making you tell him what was going on. He glanced at the birds and then back at me.

"Charms spell," I said stupidly through the sniffles, "Just practicing." I didn't want to talk, but I knew if I didn't I would explode.

"Well, they're really good," he complimented and then sat down on the step next to me. It was one of these rare times that I wished we could be together. But we crossed that line too long ago. The idea of me with him was just too awkward. I knew he didn't feel that way about me, and I him. I loved him, but not in that sense. Ours was more like a sibling love. Natural and friendly.

"How does it feel Harry?" I asked jumping right into it, "when you see Dean with Ginny?" Harry's face read complete denial.

"Umm…I.." he began to stammer.

"I know. I've seen the way you look at her." I said remembering the longing that I've seen on his face for the last year. It had appeared on his face around the time Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw in the Quidditch House Cup that took place right before we started out OWL Exam. Ginny Weasley, who had a crush on him as a young girl, had moved on from one boy to the next and never gave Harry a second glance. And the pain I had seen on his face was terrible. But I never said anything because I didn't want to bring it up around Ron, "You're my best friend." I went on and was about to say _'did you really think you could keep that from me?'_ when I heard giggling. Female giggling. Giggling I knew only too well from sharing a room with her. It was her. Lavender Brown. Sure enough she and Ron came stumbling into the corridor from another direction like poor Winky who had too much Butterbeer.

"Oops," she said seeing me and Harry together. I glanced down, fury rising in the pit of my stomach. How dare she come here! It was bad enough she had him. Had she come to gloat? I bit my lip to keep back the foul words that sprang to my mind and I saw Harry move his hand a bit down at his side, as if to usher them away. "I think this room's taken," she smiled coyly and started to pull at his arm. The whore…

"What's with the birds?" Ron inquired, stupidly. I couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get out. Now. I stood up with the tears flowing freely now. "Inpugno," I said clearly staring at him. The birds circled around my head like a wreath and then, like speeding missiles, launched one after another, chasing him out of the room. They hit the wall next to him and exploded into the feathers once more. Ron looked up at me with a mixture of shock, befuddlement and anger and quickly left. I broke down and sank to the floor again. How could he? How could I? Oh course we never dated, never kissed. He wasn't mine to loose. Still, the pain was so great. I felt as if someone had reached into my heart, ripped it out and was stabbing it over and over again.

"It feel like this," Harry murmured and I placed my head in his arms and began to weep more freely now. The sobs were becoming more and more audible. Not wanting anyone else to hear, I pulled out my wand, "Sil-sil," I began but I couldn't say it.

"Silencio" Harry said pointing his own wand around the room. No one could hear me now. I was free to cry. I broke down. I cried so hard I had a hard time breathing. I gasped for air as the tears flowed and Harry, sweet, kind, wonderful, Harry, wrapped his strong, long thin, arms along my body. I curled into his body; his strong arms from playing Quidditch held my body as I racked up with the sobs.

"How long," he whispered into my ear.

I hiccupped and admitted, "when I punched Malfoy . Although I really went crazy though when Fleur kissed him."

Harry smiled. I looked livid, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, huh," he recited cheekily.

"Shut up," I muttered. I was in no mood to hear Shakespeare.

"Sorry," he said, genuinely "He doesn't deserve your tears. Any guy would be lucky to have you," Harry said stroking my hair, "Remember Victor?"

I half-smiled through my tears. It was hard not to remember Victor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and my date to the Yule Ball two years ago. We had entered a relationship but the age and distance came in the way and we fell apart. We were good friends, but nothing more. I heard he was dating a Muggle from Bulgaria according to the Daily Prophet. While Rita Skeeter did not report on this, I took everything from that paper with a grain of salt, But, if it were true, I wouldn't be surprised. Victor hated publicity and to be with someone who didn't know him must be refreshing.

"Where are you getting at Harry?" I asked.

"Maybe you need some distance. Like Victor. Ron isn't a complete idiot. He's gonna realized that you're not around and he will miss you more."

It was a good idea, I had to admit. Space was something I could do. Sure we shared some classes like Charms and Potions, but I just would trade spots with Seamus or someone and not talk to him. He chose Lavender and that was that. I could avoid him at meals and when had Ron ever go into the library without my persistence? Then again, it would be the first place he would look for me.

"Thanks, Harry" I sniffled. "Please don't tell anyone," I begged.

"Oh course not," Harry replied tenderly, "And please don't tell anyone about Ginny."

I choked back a sob and nodded.

"Let's dry those tears," he said and magiced a kerchief and handed it to me, "and head up to Gryffindor. I could really do with a Butterbeer and I have an essay I need to work on about Expansion Charms. Think you could give me a few pointers on our way up?"

I smiled, "Sure. Let's go." And on the way up I explained the arm movement, the wrist position and the pronunciation. Talking with Harry was so effortless. Why couldn't it be this way with Ron?

"Screw Ron," I cursed silently as the two of us began walking up the stairs to the Fat Lady's portrait, "Screw Lavender. Screw them both. I was the best damn thing he could have ever had and he just lost it."

"Password," the Fat Lady prompted.

"Abstinence," I spat, finding the irony in the password, and the door opened. I found the password so ironic right now. Harry poked his head in to check to see if the party had died down. It hadn't. Harry leaned over to me and whispered to me before we entered, "Wait for my signal."

He strolled in and shouted something. I heard laughter. I took that as my cue and quickly raced up the stairs to the girls dormitory, my fists tightly clenched, one of them around my wand. As I entered my room, I saw that it was thankfully empty. I changed into my nightgown and crawled into my four-poster bed and placed the Silencing Charm around it so no one would hear the last remaining sobs and continued stare into space as the tears continued to flow. And just then, a plan began in my head. So this was Ron's game…make me jealous. He may be good at Wizards Chess, but I was good at logic and revenge. The best way to do that was with a tall, handsome guy, similar to Viktor. Athletic, handsome, crazy for me…Cormac McLaggen. I smirked. Ron would be pissed. I loved it.

Checkmate Ron. Game over.


End file.
